


Flying Butter

by Sodokachi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gabenath Exchange 2018, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 20:15:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15614160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sodokachi/pseuds/Sodokachi
Summary: Day 639: He has finally shown emotion. In other news hell has frozen over.





	Flying Butter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dream_Wreaver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Wreaver/gifts).



Nathalie Sancoeur was a very observant woman and she didn’t mind tooting her own horn about it. Even if that saying was more in line with something the heroes of Paris would say due to the fact that she was cruising through the countryside on an actual train.

Her being so observant was one of the main reasons Gabriel had hired her in the first place. That and the fact that her abilities far outstripped all of the competition. By miles really. And she was very humble, a trait they both shared. She didn’t even need to mention her demeanor. Of course, Gabriel wouldn’t realize that her observant nature would prove greater than his ability to keep secrets. Not that he hid them that well. In her opinion if it wasn’t for her he would have spilled the beans about his little butterfly obsession years ago.

But the secret that had taken her the longest to learn really should have been the most obvious.

Gabriel Agreste was a complete _sap_.

Ah, she was getting ahead of herself. You see, while she’d known for a while that Gabriel adored his wife and son if no one else she’d thought he’d always show restraint when acting on it. Much like herself in fact.

She knew that he was likely to go overboard on certain items, like jewelry for his wife and some truly ridiculous toys for his son. Heck, Gabriel had a dozen paintings, at least, of Adrien on his office wall. A _dozen._ Okay. Maybe him being a total sap was a bit more obvious than she was making it out to be, but when it came to actually acting that way towards anyone other than family? Not a chance. At least, that’s what she had thought before this past week.

It had started when Gabriel gave her the job of tallying up that years bonuses for his company. She had to take the years previous and change it by a percentage based on their current salary and what they had been rated for that year. All in all, some truly tedious work. That’s what she was payed for though, supposedly anyway, so she worked her way through it, except… the numbers didn’t make sense.

So, she did what anyone would do in that situation, and called her boss via her tablet to clarify things.

“Of course they are correct.” Gabriel said calmly.

“But sir, the bonuses listed are far higher than the norm, especially for the interns. At the companies I’ve worked at in the past they wouldn’t even give bonuses to them.” She looked at him expectantly only to get a blank stare back.

“...The numbers are correct.” He repeated. “If that is all, I need to get back to… planning.”

“Right.” She said slowly. “Good luck with your villainous aspirations.” She said with characteristic dryness.

His lips quirked for a second before he nodded and ended the call.

She turned her attention back to the numbers and wondered at the oddness of it. It seemed almost out of character for him to be so generous, outside of his family anyway. Or more likely, he cared more about his employees than she knew.

...Maybe she should ask for a raise.

It might have occurred to her then that he was way softer than he liked to portray himself as if akuma hadn’t shown up five minutes later claiming he was going to take over the city with silly putty of all things. By the end of that incredibly messy debacle she’d forgotten to ask for her raise. Which was probably the entire reason it happened.

The week wasn’t over yet, as a couple days later came some news that she definitely wasn’t expecting. She had gotten a call in the middle of work with Gabriel standing not ten feet from her. She answered it as soon as she saw the number and did her best not to smirk at the slightly confuddled look that crossed Gabriel’s face at the sudden interruption.

She succeeded, but not for the right reasons.

“Yes? ...I see.” Her brow furrowed. “Is she going…? I mean.”

Gabriel watched her intently.

“Okay. Call me back as soon as you know then.” She failed at keeping the testiness out of her voice and then hung up.

“Nathalie.”

She took a deep breath and slowly unclenched her hand from her phone.

“Yes sir? What was that about the meeting on Saturday?” She immediately refocused.

“Your voice is shaking.” He observed. “What happened?”

Her lips thinned into a line. She was usually better at controlling herself. “She’s in the hospital. Not sure for what yet, but it’s not like her to get sick like this.”

Gabriel looked into her eyes for a moment before nodding. “Very well. The meeting on Saturday is fine as is. Anything else on the schedule?”

She swallowed. “There are several deadlines approaching next week.”

Gabriel waved his hand in the air dismissively. “I’ll handle them. If that is all I think I’m done for the day.”

“Very well.” She glanced at her phone and wondered how long she would have to wait.

“Before you leave.” She looked back up. “Clear my schedule for the rest of the week. I need some time to myself to plan the next fashion week.”

“What?”

“You of course will not be needed for the rest of the week.” Gabriel stood and walked across the room.

 _Oh._ She quickly cleared his schedule using her tablet and made her way for the door. She paused just before leaving. “Thank you… Gabriel.”

He didn’t say anything until she’d shut the door.

“You’re welcome, Nathalie.”

Nathalie paused once again outside the door and wondered if she should tell her boss that she could hear him through it. She glanced at her phone and decided that that could wait. Her mother was waiting for her.

A couple days later she was riding back to Paris on one of the nicer high-speed rails, free of most of her worry and wondering about Gabriel far more than she, professionally speaking, should be. It didn’t help that he’d sent her a message by the time she’d reached the train station informing her that he needed something in Normandy and that the trip would be considered a business one.

Everything being a business expense as least relieved her of some of the stress she’d been feeling. ...As well as confirming to her that Gabriel was in fact, a sap. All things considered, she might even have to say yes the next time he asked her out to a “business lunch with wine”.

Maybe.


End file.
